If you pay any attention to the local news these days you are bound to see an increasing number of stories about nuisance animal control. Coyotes, raccoons, skunks, oh my! Furbearers are becoming more adapted to living in neighborhoods and cities, and every few days there is a news story about some suburban neighborhood that's in a panic over some critter running loose. I'd say it's a good time to get into animal control work, but more importantly, it's a great time to highlight the necessity of trapping as a responsible tool for managing furbearer populations.
One such story out of Hagerstown, MD, caught my eye because it featured the trapping legend Ron Leggett. Apparently a porcupine caused a ruckus by strolling through a parking garage, and authorities called Mr. Leggett to remove the offending critter. The video (link) features Mr. Leggett sprinting after and capturing the porcupine, and a short interview. The print story goes on to document the local problem of pet cats being infected by rabbies, which you would expect with growing furbearer populations and their expansion into suburbia. These stories make the case that trapping is an important tool needed to reduce human-animal conflict.
Ron Leggett, and his late father Pete Leggett, have accomplished incredible things in their trapping careers, including the harvest of 1,220 fox in 53 days during the 2001 trapping season. You can read more about them, and check out their books and videos, at Trap Leggetts.
Pete Leggett 1925-2004
Picture obtained from http://www.trapleggetts.com/
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